This potholder design was inspired by all those gorgeous little rose motifs in Irish crochet with their layers upon layers of densely worked petals. It is a motif that I find endlessly inspiring, and here I am paying homage to Irish crochet by working the rose panel in traditional white, then adding a pop of colour with a sunny yellow background. This is a must have for any potholder wall.
Front panel: centre
Any standard 4ply (fingering) weight cotton yarn can easily be substituted for the stated yarn; however, checking your tension carefully beforehand is strongly recommended.
7 rnds in tr sts (12st increase each rnd) = 10cm (4in)
19.5cm (73⁄4in) diameter (excluding hanging loop)
For a more colourful alternative to the beautiful white rose, crochet each round of petals in a different colour and layer onto a white back panel to show them off to their best. Or choose several shades in your favourite colour for a fabulous ombré effect.
Foundation ring: using yarn A and 3mm hook, leave a 30cm (12in) tail of yarn, ch6, ss to form ring
Round 1: ch2 (counts as first htr), 15htr into ring, ss to 2nd of starting ch2
Round 2: ch5 (counts as first tr, ch2), *miss 1 st of prev rnd, tr into next st, ch2* rep from * to * 7 times, ss into 3rd of starting ch5
Round 3: ch1, [dc, htr, 2tr, htr, dc] into each ch-sp around, ss into first dc
Round 4: ch8 (counts as first htr, ch6), *htr between dc sts of next 2 petals of prev rnd, ch6* rep from * to * 7 times, ss into 3rd of starting ch8
Round 5: ch1, [dc, htr, 6tr, htr, dc] into each ch-sp around, ss into first dc
Round 6: *ch7, ss between dc sts of next 2 petals* rep from * to * 8 times
Round 7: ch1, [dc, htr, 8tr, htr, dc] into each ch-sp around, ss into first dc
Round 8: *ch8, ss between (dc sts of) next 2 petals* rep from * to * 8 times
Round 9: ch1, [dc, htr, 10tr, htr, dc] into each ch-sp around, ss into first dc
Round 10: *ch9, ss between dc sts of next 2 petals* rep from * to * 8 times
Round 11: ch1, [dc, htr, 2tr, 8dtr, 2tr, htr, dc] into each ch-sp around, ss into first dc, fasten off
Round 12: join yarn A in 5th st of any petal of prev rnd, ch10 (counts as first tr, ch7), then work [tr, ch7] into 12th st of same petal, then [tr, ch7] into 5th and 12th sts of every petal around, ss into 3rd of starting ch10
Round 13: ch1, [dc, htr, 8tr, htr, dc] into each ch-sp around, ss into first dc, fasten off
Round 14: join yarn A in 4th st of any petal of prev rnd, ch7 (counts as first tr, ch4), [tr, ch4] into 9th st of same petal, *[tr, ch4] into 4th and 9th sts of next petal* rep from * to * 15 times, ss into 3rd of starting ch7
Round 15: ch1, [dc, htr, 3tr, htr, dc] into each ch-sp around, ss into first dc
Round 16: *ch5, ss between (dc sts of) next 2 petals* rep from * to * 32 times
Round 17: rep rnd 15
Round 18: rep rnd 16, fasten off
Front panel: outer
Note: Rnd 12 repeated from previous chart
Foundation ring: using yarn B and 3mm hook ch6, ss to form ring
Round 1: ch3 (counts as first tr), 11tr into ring, ss into 3rd of starting ch3 (12sts)
Round 2: ch3 (counts as first tr), tr into base of ch3, 2tr inc into each st around, ss into 3rd of starting ch3 (24sts)
Round 3: ch3 (counts as first tr), tr into base of ch3, tr into next st, *2tr inc, tr* rep from * to * around, ss into 3rd of starting ch3 (36sts)
Round 4: ch3 (counts as first tr), tr into base of ch3, tr into next 2 sts, *2tr inc, tr into 2 sts* rep from * to * around, ss into 3rd of starting ch3 (48sts)
Round 5: ch3 (counts as first tr), tr into base of ch3, tr into next 3 sts, *2tr inc, tr into 3 sts* rep from * to * around, ss into 3rd of starting ch3 (60sts)
Round 6–12: rnds 1 to 5 set the pattern for the back panel, continue increasing in this way for rnds 6 to 12 (144sts) to create a flat circle, fasten off invisibly
Back panel
Weave in loose ends of front and back panels. Lay front and back panels together with WS facing, and line up the stitch pattern at the centre. Using the yarn needle and 30cm (12in) tail of yarn, sew the two panels together using a whip stitch through the centre hole and sts of rnd 1; fasten off yarn between the two panels and weave in the loose end.
All edging sts are worked through corresponding sts and ch-sps of both front and back panels together.
Round 1: with RS of front panel facing, join yarn C in any ch-sp of front panel and top of tr st of back section, ch1, dc into same sp, dc into 2sts and same ch-sp, 2dc inc into next st and same ch-sp, *†dc into 5sts and next ch-sp†, dc into 3sts and next ch-sp, 2dc inc into next st and same ch-sp* rep from * to * 15 times, rep from † to † once more, ss into first dc (160sts)
Round 2: ch1, dc into base of ch1, dc into 8sts, 2dc inc, dc into 3sts, ch15, miss 4sts of prev rnd, dc into 2sts, *2dc inc, dc into 9sts* rep from * to * 14 times, 2dc inc, ss into first dc (176sts)
Round 3: ch1, dc into base of ch1, dc into 13sts, 20dc into ch-sp, dc into next and each st around, fasten off invisibly and weave in loose ends
To avoid crushing the flower petals, steam block only; do not press.
Edging